Luka Dončić Joins Investor Group Aiming to Bring NBA Europe Franchise to Rome

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić has emerged as a key investor in a bid led by former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson to purchase Italian club Vanoli Basket and ultimately relocate a re-branded franchise to Rome as part of the NBA’s planned European league, sources confirmed Tuesday.

The group, described by industry insiders as “deep-pocketed,” is negotiating the acquisition of Vanoli Basket, currently based in Cremona, primarily to secure the club’s domestic Serie A license. Under NBA Europe guidelines announced by commissioner Adam Silver, each of the 12 stakeholder franchises must maintain concurrent participation in an established domestic league. With Vanoli’s license in hand, Nelson and his partners intend to establish a new operation in the Italian capital, roughly 330 miles south of Cremona.

Italian publication La Gazzetta Dello Sport initially reported that longtime Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was also part of the consortium, but a spokesperson denied Nowitzki’s involvement to NBA reporter Marc Stein. Dončić’s role, by contrast, has not been disputed; the Slovenian superstar is listed among the principal backers of the project.

The NBA has targeted a fall 2027 launch for NBA Europe, a 12-team circuit that Silver has championed for years. In addition to legacy European powerhouses such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, the league is expected to feature newly created or retooled entries in major markets. Paris Saint-Germain, for example, is preparing to field a team in Paris, while Rome—currently without a top-tier basketball club—has been repeatedly mentioned by league officials as a priority market.

Entry fees for founding franchises could climb as high as $1 billion, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions. The remaining four league slots each season would be awarded to clubs that earn promotion through performance in their domestic competitions.

Ownership rules for NBA Europe differ from those governing the WNBA: players are allowed to hold unlimited equity stakes in European teams. Kevin Durant already holds a share of PSG, and Dončić’s involvement is viewed as both a financial and marketing coup for the fledgling league. The NBA believes Europe’s basketball economy remains underexploited, particularly when compared with the continent’s dominant soccer industry, and sees high-profile player-investors as critical to capturing fan attention across a crowded sports landscape that also includes cricket and the established EuroLeague.

Vanoli Basket, a perennial Serie A participant, has not commented publicly on the potential sale. Representatives for Dončić and Nelson likewise declined to elaborate on specific financial terms or timelines, but people with knowledge of the negotiations expect the transaction to close in the coming months, clearing the way for the Rome-based re-launch ahead of NBA Europe’s debut season.